Dragon Con 2018 - Friday

Because of my kidney stone surgery, Todd had to switch his days off so he had to work the Thursday before Dragon Con. We got up in the middle of the night on Friday, got our car loaded up and headed down to GA.

We got Emily dropped off at my aunt and uncle's house, I got changed into my Alice Angel costume and we were on our way down to the con by 9:30 am. I was a little worried about several things. Mostly my stamina and partly my costume. My character is from the video game "Bendy and the Ink Machine" and it's honestly the shortest, most cleavage bearing, sexiest costume I have ever worn.

But it ended up being comfortable, and my dress had deep pockets which was great. And someone knew who I was on the train down to the con! Several people during the day knew who I was, and one person even asked for my picture!

We made it to the con and walked to the Sheraton to get our badges. The walk isn't long but it involves a giant hill of doom. But we waited about a minute to get our badges, and I got to see my friend, Jessica because she was volunteering at badge pick up. We then went to disability services to get my sticker. I always get the 'seat in line, end of row' sticker and it always helps my con be better. But I could not have done Dragon Con this year without it and the many chairs that it let me sit in.

From there, we went to the Peachtree Center to get some food. They are renovating the Peachtree Center and it's a massive project, suppose to take 18 months. The seating was a lot less and the ceiling was completely open so you could see wires and tubes. Because of the ceiling it was much darker than usual. Every time we went in there, it was post apocalyptic food court, which kind of fits for Dragon Con.

After we ate, we headed to the dealer's room. I went right to the BPAL booth and talked to Beth (the owner of BPAL) mostly and got some hugs. Todd had wandered off because he knows that I tend to spend some time there just gabbing. None of my non-labbie friends were there, so I also wandered off.

When we were in the food court, I hadn't been able to eat much. The kidney stone had made me so sick before surgery that I hadn't eaten really anything for a week. My stomach was still recovering

Catherine Tate!

from that. But as I was walking around the dealer's room, I started feeling really light headed and felt a little freaked that Todd wasn't answering his phone.

But finally I got a hold of Todd, met up with him, and then headed over to the Walk of Fame, where you get to meet the celebrities and can get autographs and selfies. The Walk of Fame wasn't open up yet, but the line had formed to get in so we joined the line. As soon as it was 1 pm, the line started moving and we got in.

There wasn't a lot of people there yet, but Nick Frost was right by the entrance and had almost no line so we got his autograph. We took a lap around the room, seeing who was there and if there were signs on when other people were going to be there.

Gina Torres had a sign on her table and she was going to be there in a couple of hours. I had time to go upstairs for the Catherine Tate panel. I wanted to see the panel but I also really wanted to sit down too.

When I got to the handicap corral, I saw my friend Joey and her husband Matt. I talked her to her some, and got a badge ribbon from her. She had decked out her scooter with a unicorn and also had cosplay repair supplies. She had a giant D20 that I got to roll too!

I got to sit down and it was so nice. Once we got loaded into the room, I sat by Joey and her husband. When they let in the regular line, we saw more friends - Chris and Tina so they sat next to us too! It was fun! I generally don't see friends that much at Dragon Con, let along have anyone I know to sit next to.

Catherine Tate was a hoot! So funny and nice! While I had been waiting for her panel, Todd had gotten her autograph, but I would get to meet her on Sunday. I slipped out early and found Todd in line for Gina Torres.

We were in line for a while, but we were by someone I had kind of known online. Chuck, who is the mod for the unofficial Dragon Con Facebook, was in line right by Todd. I asked him if he had any of the over 40 badge ribbons (which is another Facebook group) and he did! We ended up talking him about quite a few things while we waited for Gina to arrive.

She did and we got the last autograph we needed for my Firefly poster! She was super sweet and I was super, duper geeked to meet her!

After that, Todd came with me to the con suite. He said he wasn't going to do it again because it involves climbing stairs, but I was happy to have some snacks and another chair to put my butt in.

We went back to the dealer's room, but I was shedding spoons like crazy at that point. I hadn't slept very well the night before and I was teetering on the edge of exhaustion. So we headed back to my aunt and uncle's house.

Despite the lack of stamina, I had a really good day. I basically took a shower and then passed out once. I slept for nearly 10 hours, and that helped a lot!

• Up Next - Saturday!

Dragon Con 2017 - Saturday!

This is the 3rd post in my Dragon Con 2017 recap! To start from the beginning, click here!

Dragon Con Saturdays always start out the same for me, heading to the parade staging area. I always love the parade but I was especially excited because I was a Disney Princess. Anna from Frozen, to be exact.

I talked with some people and got ready to go. We were on the underside of the parking area where the parade is staged so it was nice and cool. Finally it was time to go, and I had the parade of my life! Being a Disney Princess in the parade is beyond awesome! I got to high five a bunch of kids and see the wonder in their faces as they saw us come down the street. I even got a sweet hug from a tiny little girl. It was quite the experience!

After the parade was over, I headed to the Walk of Fame and got to get my picture with John Cusack! He is one of my favorite actors and one of the bigger names Dragon Con has gotten over the years. It was awesome!

Usually, we leave right after the parade but there was an early afternoon Matt Smith panel I wanted to see. So after a trip to the con suite for food, I got in line for the panel. Because of my chronic migraines, I get a sticker that lets me sit in line and then get an end of the row seat when we get in there. Being able to do this makes my con much more manageable!

I always pick an end of the row seat like I'm suppose to. We honestly all get decent seats since disability people are the first in the room, but some people like to try to get right up front when that isn't what is marked on their pass. During the load in of everyone else, a lady who was suppose to have found an end of the row seat and tried to get up closer was in tears while cursing out the con staff because they had made her move. I'm glad they did because there is no reason to abuse the pass. It says right on there 'end of row'. Some people need different seating, depending on their disability but most are end of row peeps like me.

The panel was great and I was glad I stayed to see it because I wasn't going to pay the expensive prices to actually get a picture with Matt Smith. After it was done, I went to the food court and met Todd. The con was really crowded so we headed out.

We went to a mall that is nearby to my aunt and uncle's house and as we got to the car, I realized that I hadn't brought a change of clothes. So I was Anna in the mall, which is a little funny.

The people at the Disney store loved my costume though! It was kind of cool to be in costume in the mall not on Halloween. We had lunch at Steak and Shake which was a place neither of us had ate at in a long time. Then we headed back to my aunt and uncle's house to hang out with my family since my dad was in town.

Up Next - Dragon Con - Sunday!